Michael Strother (Goran Visnjic) is just trying to lay low and make a living in England. He relocated to London, due to a career-ending catastrophe in the US. Now, he uses his ability as a hypnotherapist to help people kick their addictions. One of his clients happens to be a cigarette-smoking cop named Janet Losey (Shirley Henderson), who hopes that he can help her on a case, after Strother proves to have some psychic insight into it.
Strother is introduced to a little girl who hasn't spoken a word since being abducted by a mysterious serial-killer. She is the only one of multiple victims to survive. While working with the girl, Strother is drawn into something far more bizarre than any normal crime. Both he and Losey, with help from an odd toy maker named Elliot Spruggs (Paddy Considine), find themselves investigating an ancient occult conspiracy that just might be real.
CLOSE YOUR EYES is several things at once: It's a cracking crime thriller, a dark mystery, and a tale of supernatural horror. A grim atmosphere permeates the proceedings, soaking everything in gloom. The story itself is intriguing as well as terrifying, with ever more danger lying just around the next corner. We are never sure if anyone will live to see the end! The occult angle is used in a fresh, novel way, especially the 16th century tie-in, the use of church buildings, and Fiona Shaw's ultra-creepy character (the whole "finger tapping" thing is unforgettable!). It's a shame that this movie has been so overlooked. It's time for its rediscovery...
